This invention relates to vehicle occupant restraining means; and, more particularly, to a vehicle seat belt assembly and method for fabricating.
One type of automobile seat belt assembly used today has a molded, hollow housing for passing a fabric seat belt to a metal link which is secured by a bolt to the floor of the automobile. The assembly of such a structure requires coupling the seat belt to the metal link and threading of the seat belt through the housing. In view of the large number of automobiles produced, it can be appreciated that even a relatively simple step such as threading the seat belt can have a substantial total cost to an automobile manufacturing company. Additionally, the hollow housing is typically not secured to either the vehicle or the seat belt and can slide along the seat belt thereby exposing the safety belt, the metal link and the bolt securing the metal link to the floor.
Some have avoided this problem by taking a steel cable like member and encapsulating it with a plastic coating, probably by dipping it into molten plastic. However, such coated cables do not have the rich luxurious look of a conventional dip molded plastic seat belt housing. Also, the end of the cable must be anchored to the vehicle and this anchoring is of course visible since it is effected after the plastic coating operation.